The article “De Obregón a nuestro tiempo: el tiempo del arte contemporáneo del Caribe colombiano”, written by the historian Danny González Cueto, was published in May 2007 in the “Notas de arte desde el Caribe” section in issue number seven of Memorias magazine, a digital publication of the history and archeology department at the Universidad del Norte at Barranquilla. In his article, González reviews the history, culture, and geography of the Caribbean region of Colombia—from the Spanish conquest to the banana boom of the early twentieth century—stressing the importance of the port cities of Barranquilla, Santa Marta, and Cartagena as the major urban centers of the region. In his review, González identifies the region as the main point of entry and establishment of modern art in Colombia. He refers to the development of four generations of artists from the Caribbean area who through their work in a variety of media, have contributed to the arts as a whole in Colombia in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. According to González these were bold, influential artists who enriched the arts in their own region and all over the country.  

“De Obregón a nuestro tiempo: el tiempo del arte contemporáneo del Caribe colombiano” (2007) is an important document that explains how the geographical position, economic activity, and social environment in the Caribbean region of Colombia has influenced the art produced in the northern area of the country and contributed to the national prominence of certain key artists. The article looks back to the late twentieth century, when the Caribbean region of the country was developing a national reputation as a cultural center for contemporary art as a result of the visibility provided by three extremely important events. These were the publication of El arte del Caribe colombiano (2000), the book by the historian and curator Álvaro Medina (b. 1942) sponsored by the Bolívar Government; the “Prize for the Best Historical, Theoretical, or Critical Essay on Colombian Art at the End of the Millennium,” awarded by the mayor’s office of the city of Bogotá to the essay Orígenes del arte conceptual en Colombia (1999) written by the artist and curator Álvaro Barrios (b. 1945); and of course the traveling exhibition Arte contemporáneo del Caribe colombiano (2000), curated by Barrios and presented at several official venues on Colombia’s Caribbean coast.  

It should be noted that although Danny González Cueto (b. 1974) highlights the art of this particular region of Colombia, he never rates it above the art from any other part of the country. He discusses the importance of the work produced by four generations of artists from the Caribbean region, positioning the main creators—Alejandro Obregón (1920–92), Enrique Grau (1920–2004), Cecilia Porras (1920–1971), and the 1982 winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, Gabriel García Márquez (1927–2014)—among others, as the pioneers of what González calls the Grupo de Barranquilla.

Danny González Cueto, the social communicator, is a graduate of the Universidad del Norte. In 2002 he worked as a researcher and script writer at the Museo del Caribe. His articles and essays have been published in the Heraldo Dominical, La Guía Cultural (to Barranquilla and the Caribbean), and Revista Huellas. He is currently (in 2010) a teacher and assistant director of Memorias magazine at the Universidad del Norte at Barranquilla.